Photograph by zeeveez
Nearly a million people who applied for sickness disability benefit have been found “fit” to work according to new government figures.
32% of all new claimants for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), 980,000 people, were found to be fit to work and capable of employment between October 2008 and March 20013 according to figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
A million more people withdrew their claims before reaching a face-to-face assessment.
Reforming the benefits system has been a central tenet of the government’s long-term plan of cost savings, with Minister of State for Disabled People, Mike Penning saying of the figures:
With the right support, many people with an illness, health condition or disability can still fulfil their aspiration to get or stay in work, allowing them to provide for themselves and their family
However, Richard Hawkes, chief executive of the disability charity Scope said:
The WCA [Work Capability Assessment] should be more than an exercise in getting people off of benefits. It should make sure disabled people get the specialist, tailored and flexible support they need to find and keep a job.
5 Comments
Yep, just like the woman that got knocked off the sick and was judged to be fit for work, despite her being in hospital in a coma. Election year coming up, propaganda machine being warmed up. Tin hat time for the less fortunate.
I was one of these million.Despite being in receipt of a valid sick note and also having been in continuous employment for 30 years plus,prior to my disability starting.I was passed fit by a Maltese doctor who spoke little English,mainly because I did my own shopping and could tie my shoelaces up without assistance. The system is laughable,particularly when I was harangued for missing an appointment by the Job Centre staff after they had informed me of the stoppage of benefits. They also tried to cajole me into appealing,but,Im afraid I have too much pride to jump through their hoops.Incidentally it was the Job Centre organization who placed me on ESA,I did not want it and was prepared to seek JSA,until I found employment,when I became eligible . These clowns need to be held to account
Well you could post your opinions on computer too. So you are not exactly disabled are you. I didn’t know it is a requirement to speak English to be a competent doctor? Not only a welfare cheat a racist too.
You clown how do you know if the poster is disabled or not just because they can type a few words does not make them a welfare cheat and to call them racist you don’t know what a racist is they stated that the doctor spoke little English and came from Malta nothing racist in that. Get off your high horse and get a life
Go and tell the guys up at Headley Court you can’t work, dont want to work and want to claim claim claim. If you can go and do your own shopping, you can sit down and work – and pay for you food like most people with any morals would do.